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On Food Network’s new show Kitchen Casino, Mondays at 9|8c, host Bill Rancic doles out gambling-themed games to chefs competing to win the $30,000 jackpot. Bill isn’t new to television. He got his start as the first winner of The Apprentice, and he and his wife star in their reality show Giuliana and Bill. When he’s not busy in front of the camera or looking after the restaurant group he’s a part owner of, behind the scenes Bill’s a simple guy who loves simple food.

Bill knows his way around a kitchen, and he loves cooking Italian food. He does admit that he has had some not-so proud moments in the kitchen, but that hasn’t lessened his appreciation for food or stopped him from trying new things. You might be surprised to learn that he got started in the food business at the age of 10, when he had his own secret restaurant at home — and he’s been a savvy businessman and foodie ever since.

Part eatery and part entertainment space, Urban Roots in Oklahoma City, Okla., offered little in the way of quality food when Robert Irvine arrived. He found jumbled dishes and a weak staff, plus owner Chaya Fletcher, who was struggling to maintain her interest in her job. With only two days to work and a budget of just $10,000, Robert and his Restaurant: Impossible team transformed the interior of Urban Roots and updated the menu, ultimately reopening the business to a packed house. Read on below to hear from Chaya and find out how Urban Roots is doing today.

“Since the taping, revenue is up 15 percent,” Chaya says. “Customers are really happy with the design and love the new menu changes.” She adds that both food and entertainment are now proving to attract customers.

FN Dish is counting down until the premiere of America’s Best Cook on Sunday at 9|8c. On the new show, four Food Network chefs representing the four regions of the United States mentor teams of exceptional home cooks in a competition to find America’s best cook. The winner walks away with the title and $50,000 in prize money. But which region will that winner be from? It could be North, South, East or West. The final result will be a testament to the mentor who coached the winner. Ahead of the premiere, FN Dish spoke with each of the mentors to find out more about the competition, mentoring strategies, what makes a good home cook and more.

On America’s Best Cook, Michael Symon is representing the North. After growing up in Ohio and opening his restaurant there, Michael has the knowledge and experience to lead his team of home cooks. There are many cultural backgrounds in the region, and Michael’s going to make sure that those unique flavors are well represented. Over the years Michael has looked up to Jonathan Waxman as a mentor, and he’s hoping to impart to his home cooks that same passion he learned coming up as a chef.

For this week’s Chopped Dinner Challenge, the chefs of Food Network Kitchen chose to feature the basket ingredient of hearts of palm. Readily available canned, hearts of palm are the tender inner cores of palm trees — though only certain less fibrous varieties of palm are harvested. The taste is delicate and similar to artichokes, but their long cylindrical shape resembles white asparagus. They’re crunchy when raw and typically used in salads, but this Hearts of Palm Parm recipe does something different: It cooks the hearts in a tomato sauce, turning them soft and even more flavorful. Whether you’re a vegetarian or a fan of chicken or eggplant Parmesan looking for a different take on the dish, give this one a try.

With more than seven seasons’ worth of Restaurant: Impossible renovations behind him, Robert Irvine has seen all manner of filth in eatery kitchens, encountered interior decor ranging from the plain and simple to the cluttered and confused, and met owners who have welcomed him wholeheartedly and those who have fought to accept his expertise. He sticks to his goal of transforming businesses and improving lives no matter how difficult the mission, but surely some updates have proved more shocking, some owners more demanding and some reveals more emotional.

FN Dish is counting down until the premiere of America’s Best Cook on Sunday at 9|8c. On the new show, four Food Network chefs representing the four regions of the United States mentor teams of exceptional home cooks in a competition to find America’s best cook. The winner walks away with the title and $50,000 in prize money. But which region will that winner be from? It could be North, South, East or West. The final result will be a testament to the mentor who coached the winner. Ahead of the premiere, FN Dish spoke with each of the mentors to find out more about the competition, mentoring strategies, what makes a good home cook and more.

On America’s Best Cook, Alex Guarnaschelli leads the East, a region that she grew up in, lives in and runs restaurants in. As a judge on Chopped, Alex knows what makes a good cook, and as the most recently named Iron Chef, she’s got the fire to lead. Having learned the trade in France, Alex owes it all to Guy Savoy for giving her the confidence to become a chef, but she also looks up to fellow Food Network chef Bobby Flay for inspiration when it comes to blazing a path.

Just last week FN Dish introduced fans to the first in a series of Testing the Sabotage videos that highlight exactly how Cutthroat Kitchen sabotages come to be. So many have questioned whether or not the challenges are indeed possible for competitors to conquer within their time constraints, and with these all-new videos, it’s now clear that the answer is yes; every sabotage Alton auctions off has been vetted by Food Network’s culinary team, and now you have the chance to watch those tests unfold.

Click the play button on the video above to check out how the giant-whisk sabotage featured on tonight’s brand-new episode was approved for air, and learn what kind of experimenting had to be done in order to arrive at that conclusion.

On tonight’s episode of the Chopped Tournament of Stars, the winners of the four previous rounds returned for one final battle to see who would win the championship and walk away with $50,000 for his or her charity. Brandi Chastain, Carnie Wilson, Gillian Vigman and Michael Imperioli all entered the competition with the goal of winning, but by the dessert round only Brandi and Michael remained to face off in an epic dessert round that was so exciting that it had the judges on the edge of their seats. FN Dish has the exclusive interview with the winner.

Coining that phrase on last night’s episode of Beat Bobby Flay, Bobby likened these tiny fish to one product that nearly everyone enjoys: bacon. As both ingredients are deliciously salty, they’re capable of imparting rich flavor and transforming a dish to next-level deliciousness with minimal effort. The host reached for anchovies as he worked on a crispy, spicy topping for Cauliflower and Mushroom Mac and Cheese, and while his competitor wondered if they would complement dairy, Bobby’s dish indeed wowed the judges, who deemed his offering the best of the day.

While bacon is crunchy, anchovies are tender and can be broken down, so if you incorporate them into a dressing or dissolve them in a sauce — or opt for anchovy paste instead of whole anchovies — you’ll be able to enjoy their deep taste without biting into a whole anchovy or seeing them laid atop a salad or bowl of pasta. “You could get a lot of good flavor out of anchovies,” Bobby said, which is why he softened them in a mixture of breadcrumbs, Calabrian chilies and olive oil in his crispy topping.

Check out a few of Food Network’s favorite recipes with anchovies and anchovy paste below to experience their robust flavor firsthand.

He may be a revered Iron Chef, an unapologetic mentor on Food Network Star and a restaurant owner many times over, but when it comes to facing off against some of the best chefs in the country, Bobby Flay isn’t indestructible. Just a few weeks ago on Beat Bobby Flay, the host fell to Chef Brian Tsao in one challenge — Battle Taco — that would have seemingly been Bobby’s for the taking; after all, the Iron Chef is known for his affinity for and mastery of Southwestern cuisine. He offered guest judges his version of a puffy taco, and while they indeed offered praise for the dish, it was no match for Chef Brian’s Korean-inspired plate.

It turns out, however, that Bobby has a long history with puffy tacos. FN Dish recently caught up with him and he revealed that his 2007 puffy-taco challenge on Throwdown with Bobby Flay is among his most-memorable cook-offs to date — but not necessarily because of the result of the battle.

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This impressive-looking appetizer is a snap to make, thanks to a shortcut ingredient: refrigerated pizza dough.

Recipe of the Day: Cheesy Breakfast Cornbread Casserole Sidestep the bacon-and-eggs breakfast in favor of a hearty bake that doubles down on corn. It starts with a creamed corn base that's loaded with ham and kale, and it ends with a cheddar-packed cornbread topping that puffs and spreads as it bakes.

Warm up with this festive hot chocolate spiked with tequila and a pinch of chili powder.

This traditional Eastern European dessert features a chocolate and almond filling and a sugary streusel topping.